Delta Sky Club opens only airline lounge in newly transformed Kansas City airport

The Delta Sky Club network is deepening its Midwest ties on Tuesday with the opening of its Kansas City International Airport (MCI) lounge, the only carrier lounge at the recently transformed airport. 

MCI’s $1.5 billion overhaul consolidated all airport operations into a state-of-the-art, 39-gate terminal. Customers at the new MCI will enjoy a completely revamped, fully accessible experience from curb to gate, with a state-of-the-art lobby; a new, enlarged security checkpoint; local concession options; gates equipped with the most up-to-date technology; and more.  

The Delta Sky Club network is deepening its Midwest ties on Tuesday with the opening of its Kansas City International Airport (MCI) lounge, the only carrier lounge at the recently transformed airport. 

The Kansas City Club is the second in a string of lounge openings in the Midwest, with the new Chicago O’Hare Club opened in October 2022 and a third Minneapolis location planned for April 2023. The remainder of 2023 will be ambitious for Delta Sky Club, with eight total planned Club openings and expansions. 

Kansas City’s airport transformation provided the perfect opportunity for Delta to grow its presence in the area, providing another touchpoint for Midwest customers and strengthening the airline’s relationship with the “City of Fountains.” 

Air Serbia and Air China renew and expand their partnership

The national airlines of Serbia and China, Air Serbia and Air China, have renewed their cooperation which started in 2015, with the aim to facilitate simpler travel between the two countries. The codeshare partnership between the two companies was renewed for flights between Belgrade and Beijing, with Air China putting its marketing code on Air Serbia flights between Belgrade and Vienna, while the Serbian airline placed its marketing code on the flights between Vienna and Beijing operated by the Chinese company. In addition to that, the partnership was expanded with the addition of the Air China marketing code to Air Serbia's flights between Belgrade and Tianjin, which commenced last year in December.

When it comes to other cities in the People's Republic of China, passengers will now be able to combine Air Serbia's flights to Tianjin with Air China's flights from Tianjin to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xi'an, thanks to the interline agreement between the two national airlines.

"With the commencement of direct flights to Tianjin, Air Serbia returned to China after more than two decades. We have already further enhanced our presence in this market, by renewing and expanding the commercial cooperation with Air China. We believe that this news will please passengers who had a need for flights between Europe and the Far East, i.e., Belgrade and China", said Ivana Miklja Mučalov, Manager International Affairs & Alliances, Air Serbia.

As of 9 December 2022, the Serbian national airline has been operating flights to Tianjin, the fourth largest city in the People's Republic of China. The flights between Belgrade and Tianjin are operated using Airbus A330 aircraft from Air Serbia's long-haul fleet. The average flight duration is 10 hours for flights from Belgrade to Tianjin, and 12 hours for flights from Tianjin to Belgrade. 

British Airways Holidays and Universal Orlando Resort have teamed up with ITV's Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

British Airways Holidays and Universal Orlando Resort have teamed up to offer the holiday of a lifetime to Orlando for the ‘Place on the Plane’ prize winners of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway.

The lucky prize winners will secure a seat on an exclusively chartered flight thanks to British Airways Holidays and will stay six nights at the surf-themed Universal’s Endless Summer Resort - Surfside Inn and Suites in spacious two-bedroom suites that sleep up to six. Winners will also receive park-to-park access to all three Universal Orlando Resort theme parks; Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park.

In addition, prize winners will be invited to an exclusive winners’ event at Universal’s Volcano Bay and tickets to the finale of Saturday Night Takeaway, live from Universal’s Islands of Adventure on 8th April, meaning guests will be treated like true VIPs.

With places so highly sought after on the flight, even Stephen Mulhern couldn’t secure a seat and had to think of creative ways to bag a place on the plane. Mulhern devised a plan to train as one of British Airways’ highly skilled cabin crew. He was put through his paces by expert customer service trainers, which was harder than expected. 

Stephen Mulhern, presenter, said: “British Airways’ cabin crew go through rigorous training to ensure they deliver exceptional service for passengers. It is fair to say I just didn't quite cut it, but it was great to spend a day with the team and learn more about how they keep customers safe while delivering excellent customer service. I'll just have to beg Ant and Dec for a space!”

Pilots from across Europe call on EU policymakers to reform Europe’s airspace now

Europe’s leading airlines are calling on EU transport ministers to make the benefits of airspace reform a reality as they meet in Stockholm today. Pilots representing 9 A4E member airlines have come together in a new video to urge ministers to seize the opportunity and move the Single European Sky (SES2+) legislation out of the holding pattern it has been stuck in for many years. 

Implementing the updated Single European Sky (SES2+), as proposed by the European Commission, would be a major step in creating a seamless European airspace. This would enable pilots to fly the most efficient routes possible which will reduce the amount of fuel used in-flight, reduce delays and deliver a reduction of around 7% in CO2 emissions.

 

The EU has been discussing airspace reform for decades without any real results to show for it. As airlines face into a busy summer and the prospect of ever more congested European airspace, the need for reform is clearer than ever. 

Commenting on today’s video, Laurent Donceel, acting Managing Director of Airlines for Europe (A4E) said: “Member states have the opportunity to achieve a seamless and digitalised airspace in Europe by supporting the EU Commission’s proposal to reform the Single European Sky (SES2+) legislation. Our pilots have a message for ministers today: We’ve been waiting too long for this important reform and it’s time to take action on airspace now to deliver for passengers, for Europe and for the environment.” 

Direct flights between Abidjan and New York John F. Kennedy Airport to restart from 29 May 2023 with Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines, the largest network operating carrier in Africa, has confirmed it plans to restart direct flights between Abidjan and New York John F. Kennedy  Airport from 29 May 2023. 

Ethiopian first started serving New York from its main hub  Addis Ababa via Abidjan in June 2019. However, the route was suspended in March 2020  due to COVID-19. Later, the flight resumed serving New York via Lomé starting in  October 2020. 

The four times weekly flights will be operated between Addis Ababa and New York via  Abidjan on Boeing 787 aircraft. 

Regarding the resumption of the flight, Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew said “We are excited to bring back our direct flight between Abidjan and New York. We have long been offering flights with the best connectivity between the US and Africa. The resumption of our Abidjan-New York flight brings back the flexibility that our passengers love. We have been increasing frequencies and adding new destinations in Africa, Europe, Middle East, and Asia in the past couple of months and we are delighted that the  Abidjan-New York route is coming again.” 

Ethiopian Airlines currently operates to more than 130 international passenger and cargo destinations from its main hub Addis Ababa including to Abidjan, where Ethiopian provided 42 years of uninterrupted service since November 1980. Ethiopian will also be commencing a new passenger service to Atlanta, USA starting on 16 May 2023. Atlanta will be Ethiopian Airlines’ 6th destination in the US following its passenger services to New York, Newark, Chicago, Washington DC and cargo service to Miami. 

New York - the city that never sleeps has so much to offer the visitor, with attractions like ntrepid Sea Air Space Museum where you can take an interactive journey through history and innovation as you explore the legendary aircraft carrier "Intrepid", the space shuttle Enterprise", and the world’s fastest jets.

JetBlue Celebrates Groundbreaking of JFK’s New Terminal 6

New York City-based JetBlue joined by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and other partners and leaders, celebrated a key milestone in the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's transformation of John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) with the groundbreaking of a $4.2 billion project to develop a new international Terminal 6. The groundbreaking, held Thursday at JetBlue’s JFK maintenance hangar, only reinforces the airline’s commitment to JFK, Queens, and New York.

The new Terminal 6 will connect seamlessly with JetBlue’s current home at Terminal 5, adding gates and opportunity for the airline to add flights, destinations and partner airline connections. The project is a public-private partnership between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and JFK Millennium Partners - a consortium that includes JetBlue, Vantage Airport Group, an industry leading investor, developer, and manager of award-winning global airport projects, including LaGuardia Terminal B; American Triple I, a certified minority-owned investor, owner, developer, and manager of infrastructure assets; and New York real estate operating company RXR.

“It was 23 years ago that JetBlue launched our first flights from our home at JFK, eventually growing and taking over our modern Terminal 5 and now sending customers to more than 80 destinations, including London and soon Paris. At a time that JetBlue is set to grow significantly, we are excited to once again invest and further the governor’s vision as we build the new Terminal 6,” said Robin Hayes, chief executive officer, JetBlue. “As we move JFK into the future with a new, state-of-the-art, customer-focused facility, we are so pleased to have an opportunity to expand our presence with new gates in a new terminal. The team putting this project together is setting out to develop a terminal that New Yorkers, including our JetBlue crewmembers, can be proud of.”

With hiring ongoing throughout the company, more than 7,000 JetBlue crewmembers are now based at JFK.

Continued Growth with Spirit Airlines

Record breaking results from Luna Aviation

Luna Aviation Group, the leading European aviation charter company, provides a market update on its 2022 performance reflecting tremendous growth of its LunaJets and LunaGroup Charter brands fueled by unprecedented demand from existing, new clients and additional offices.

The Group continues to see strong growth in its various business lines, with revenue up over 45% versus 2021. Despite negative stock market returns, constant rising inflation and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Group generated a record-breaking revenue for the year.

2022 Growth

After a record 2021, LunaJets, the private jet charter division of Luna Aviation Group, exceeded $150M* annual revenue in 2022 for the first time in its history, representing a 40% YoY increase. The number of flights organised generated over 12,000* movements representing more than one aircraft taking off every hour worldwide. The company welcomed more than 1,250 new clients.

During its second year of operation, LunaGroup Charter, the commercial charter division of Luna Aviation Group, exceeded $15M* annual revenue and is up 290% in the number of flights organised. "Considering the post-pandemic situation, particularly the uncertainty of whether international events are hosted, and a slow start of the year we are delighted by these numbers and by growing our market share. Our worldwide activity enabled us to achieve a record-breaking fourth quarter," states Rémi Aubin, LunaGroup Charter Sales Director.

Leidos to upgrade security at London Luton Airport

Leidos,  the science and technology company was recently named the principal contractor for technology upgrades across multiple security checkpoints at London Luton Airport (LLA). As one of the UK's busiest airports, LLA served over 13 million passengers in 2022.

"This is an exciting opportunity for our team, and we look forward to supporting these important initiatives at London Luton Airport," said Brad Buswell, Senior Vice President and Operations Manager at Leidos. "By focusing on end-to-end solutions versus individual systems, we will deliver a holistic security management solution, which can scale with the airport's future needs."

As the principal contractor, Leidos manages all subcontractors and associated consultants working on the project. This includes oversight of building modifications to create two central image processing rooms. The company will also install its security systems and other third-party security solutions at the checkpoints.

Under the agreement, Leidos will deploy 12 of its integrated ClearScan™ cabin baggage scanners and ProPassage™ automated tray return systems. ClearScan is a computed tomography (CT) scanner with advanced explosive detection algorithms. This capability eliminates the need to remove electronics and approved liquids from carry-on baggage. The large, automated ProPassage trays reduce the number of trays needed per passenger in the divest area and helps prevent sweep-outs, a common issue with light items in shallow trays. The combination of these two technologies will enable faster processing of passengers through the checkpoint.

A year on from Ukraine War – Are European and Asian Airlines feeling the impact?

A year on from Ukraine War – Are European and Asian Airlines feeling the impact? Commentary from Bloomberg Intelligence's Conroy Gaynor.   

 

Photo by Margarita Marushevska on Unsplash

A year on from the invasion of Ukraine – large European airlines such as BA and AerLingus (part of IAG) aren't going to suffer as badly as once feared, says Bloomberg Intelligence. The price of jet fuel falling 43% from a June peak is a relief, while consumer subsidies on energy support demand. Yet closed Russian air space exacerbates profitability difficulties on Asian services for Finnair and SAS.

 

Conroy Gaynor, industry analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence comments: “One year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, jet fuel in Europe is about one-third more expensive vs. 2019, when the airline industry last operated at normal capacity.

 

“Fuel can be 25-40% of unit cost so is reflected in higher fares, along with other inflation. We calculate the largest budget airline fares were up 12-14% in calendar 4Q vs. pre-Covid-19. Yet energy costs falling from a peak, plus a stronger euro vs. the dollar since 3Q, may mean a softening of pricing gains.”

 

He continues: “At the invasion, we estimate that our peer group was about 40% fuel-hedged on average for the year at a price of $680 per metric ton, including Wizz Air and the Nordic carriers, which had little or no cover. Today we forecast similar overall cover but at $940, as more carriers started a policy but others became cautious about over-hedging at high prices.

 

ATSG Reports Record 2022 Revenues

Air Transport Services Group, Inc. the leading provider of medium wide-body aircraft leasing, contracted air transportation, and related services, today reported consolidated financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2022. 

Fourth Quarter Results

• Revenues $533 million, up 11%
• GAAP EPS (basic) from Continuing Operations $0.58, down $0.02 on GAAP Pretax Earnings from Continuing Operations $61.2 million, up 1%
• Adjusted Pretax* Earnings $65 million, up 16%
• Adjusted EPS* $0.53, up $0.03
• Adjusted EBITDA* $163 million, up 5%

Full Year 2022 Results

• Revenues $2.0 billion, up 18%
• GAAP EPS (basic) from Continuing Operations $2.67, down $0.66 on GAAP Pretax Earnings from Continuing Operations $260 million, down 14%
• Adjusted Pretax Earnings* $263 million, up 51%
• Adjusted EPS* $2.28, up $0.67 or 42%
• Adjusted EBITDA* $641 million, up $100 million or 18%
• Operating Cash Flows $472 million and Adjusted Free Cash Flow* $285 million

Rich Corrado, president and chief executive officer of ATSG, said, "In 2022, our revenues and Adjusted EBITDA each grew 18%, with revenues reaching a record $2 billion, and Adjusted EBITDA increasing $100 million to $641 million. Our Adjusted Pretax Earnings also grew sharply, excluding 2021 benefits from pandemic related government grants for our passenger airline. At the same time, we invested nearly $600 million in our businesses which will allow us to take advantage of the continued attractive leasing market for midsize freighter aircraft. I expect those investments and the outstanding performance of our employees to drive even more robust growth and earnings in the years to come."

2022 Operating Highlights

• Six more dry leases of Boeing 767-300 freighters, plus one re-lease and four lease extensions of Boeing 767-200s. Two of the six newly converted 767-300 freighters leased last year are also being operated by ATSG’s airlines under Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (CMI) agreements.
• Seven more customer-provided 767 freighters were subleased to and operated by ATSG’s cargo airlines during 2022, totaling thirteen such aircraft in the fleet at the end of the year.
• Feedstock aircraft secured for the twenty freighters ATSG expects to lease in 2023.
• Completed a strong schedule of passenger airline missions for government customers, including the resumption of a full schedule of combi service worldwide for the Department of Defense.
• Executed a six-year extension and expansion of ATSG’s longstanding commercial relationship with DHL. The number of 767s our airline operates for DHL has more than doubled since the beginning of 2021.

MNG Airlines provides earthquake aid to Turkey and Syria

MNG Airlines, a global logistics provider and e-commerce enabler, is providing ground transport, logistics and air cargo services to aid victims of the devastating February 6th earthquakes. 

MNGA has mobilized a fleet of cargo trucks to support the Turkish Ministry of Interior Department of Disaster and Emergency Management to deliver supplies from Istanbul directly to Malatya and Gaziantep. Starting on February 7th, the MNGA’s trucks began delivering emergency aid to the region. On February 8th, MNG Airlines volunteered an A300-600 aircraft to transport relief goods including 44 tons of supplies donated by MNG Airlines staff. After the first flight, MNGA operated 4 flights to Malatya and 2 flights to Adana to provide transportation for donations from Beşiktaş JK, the Turkish Pharmacists’ Association and other donors.

MNG Airlines has also partnered with the Turkish Red Crescent to collect and transport emergency donations from across Europe to Malatya and Adana. Starting on February 9th, and working alongside international embassies and consulate staff, airport staff and our ground handling partner DNATA CGN, MNG Airlines loaded emergency relief donations at the Cologne, Amsterdam, and Charles de Gaulle airports for transport to Istanbul Airport. MNG Airlines’ collaboration with the Red Crescent is ongoing, and as of today, MNG Airlines has transported 240 tons of aid.

On February 8th, 16th and 23rd, MNG Airlines operated an A300-600 cargo plane on behalf of the World Health Organization (“WHO”) to transport 120 tons of emergency medical kits from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai to Istanbul, where the WHO’s emergency response teams began transporting the kits to areas most in need. On February 18th, MNG Airlines operated an A300-600 cargo plane on behalf of UNICEF to transport 37 tons of relief goods.

MNG Airlines and Golden Falcon Acquisition Corporation stand with friends, family, and fellow Turkish citizens whose lives have been impacted by the earthquakes, and will continue supporting our disaster relief and recovery partners during this difficult time.

Greg Smith appointed independent Chairman of American Airlines Group Board of Directors

American Airlines Group announced that Greg Smith has been named independent chairman of the company’s board of directors, effective April 30, 2023. Smith, 56, will succeed Doug Parker, who will retire from the board at that time. Smith’s appointment is part of the board’s long-term succession planning process.

“Our CEO transition has been flawless thanks to the great work of Robert Isom, his team and our board,” said Parker. “Now is the right time for our chairman transition and we are fortunate to have Greg Smith in place to assume that role. Greg has made outstanding contributions since joining American’s board, and his strong knowledge of the aviation industry and his decades of leadership experience will be invaluable going forward.”

Smith joined American’s board in January 2022 after a more than 30-year career at The Boeing Company. He most recently served as Boeing’s Executive Vice President and CFO, leading the company’s Enterprise Operations, Finance, Strategy and Shared Services organizations. He managed Boeing’s overall financial activities and had oversight of the company’s manufacturing, operations, supply chain, quality and program management teams.

“It’s an honour and privilege to serve as a board member and now as chairman of this iconic company,” said Smith. “Due to the leadership and dedication of Doug, Robert and the entire American team, we are well-positioned to take the airline to the next level of excellence. The board and I look forward to working with Robert and this great team as we lead American Airlines into the future.”

Norwegian Reward to be relaunched

The Norwegian Reward loyalty programme is getting a new look and with this comes new benefits. During springtime, several extra benefits for the most frequent flyers will be introduced.

Norwegian Reward is Norwegian's award-winning loyalty programme. Norwegian Reward is now being renewed with the same aim as before – to give Norwegian's customers cheaper flights and an even smoother journey. Earning CashPoints and benefits are still at the core of the programme. The more Reward members choose to fly with Norwegian, the more benefits they receive. Norwegian is also adding a range of new benefits for the most frequent flyers.

Greater freedom when choosing benefits

Reward members will receive a new benefit for every eighth flight taken within 12 months, including stopovers. The first benefit is always 2% extra CashPoints on all Norwegian flight tickets. After the next eight flights, members can choose which benefit they would like next. On top of choosing from free checked baggage, seat reservation, Fast Track or an additional 2% earning of CashPoints, members can now also choose to claim an overhead cabin bag as their next benefit.“Our members have told us that the benefits they can choose from are among the loyalty programme’s most important perks. In addition to greater flexibility when choosing benefits, we are now also adding free overhead cabin bag as a benefit to choose from,” said Christoffer Sundby, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Norwegian.

Choose benefits The ‘Rewards’ in our programme will be called benefits moving forward, and you’ll get a new benefit for every 8th flight you take within 12 months, including stopovers. The first benefit you’ll receive is always 2% extra CashPoints. After your next 8 flights, you can decide for yourself which benefits you’d like next. Choose from:

Free checked baggage Free standard seat reservation Another 2% extra CashPoints (can be selected up to 3 times) Free Fast Track NEW! Free overhead cabin baggage*

NEW! Exclusive benefits for frequent flyers Once you reach 32 flights in 12 months, you’ll receive all of the remaining benefits above that you hadn’t already chosen, plus a set of exclusive perks, reserved for our most frequent flyers! These benefits will be rolled out during spring 2023, and include:

Free coffee and tea on board** Priority Boarding Priority customer service No expiry date on CashPoints***

And more...

Earn CashPoints You still earn CashPoints every time you fly with us or make a purchase with one of Norwegian Reward’s partners. How many CashPoints you earn on your flights depends on your ticket type. You’ll earn: 1% CashPoints on LowFare tickets 2% CashPoints on LowFare+ tickets 5% CashPoints on Flex tickets Use your CashPoints to pay for part or all of your next Norwegian flight!

Two top leadership changes at Lufthansa

Two important leadership changes of commercial core functions at Lufthansa Group and Lufthansa Airlines: Heiko Reitz will be the new CCO of Lufthansa Airlines and Dr. Stefan Kreuzpaintner will now be responsible for network, alliance and partner management of Lufthansa Group.

Heiko Reitz has made several key strategy decisions for network, alliance and partner management in recent years and drove harmonization and further development of holistic commercial customer offerings, also with airline partners. He further developed the Lufthansa Group joint ventures and expanded important partnerships like with Deutsche Bahn. And as crisis manager during the Corona pandemic, he made a major contribution to stabilizing the company.

Looking forward, he will apply his strategic experience gained from Lufthansa Group to daily operations, at key customer interfaces while expanding and realigning Lufthansa Airlines' premium offers.

As a member of the Lufthansa Airlines Board Dr. Stefan Kreuzpaintner played a key role in further developing and strengthening core brand commercial structures and pushing ahead with the strategic premium positioning while coping with the very difficult Corona pandemic situation. Following crisis management, he pushed introduction of the new long haul Lufthansa premium product "Allegris". At the Lufthansa Munich hub, he reinforced the expansion of the successful strategic partnership with the airport. His prior experience in sales, revenue and marketing management positions will enable him to expand the links between Lufthansa and its Group partners. This will include network planning for all hub airlines and development of further commercial partnerships and joint ventures of the Group as well as continuing to represent Group interests in Munich as “Konzernbeauftragter”.

Lufthansa Group receives top grades in renowned CDP climate ranking

• Lufthansa receives the scoring result "A-" and is thus placed in the highest-ranking band
• Top grades for emissions reduction and in five other rating categories
• Proof of the Lufthansa Group's ambitious CO2 reduction path

In the global climate ranking 2022 of the non-profit organization CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project), the Lufthansa Group received a top rating for its CO2 reduction strategy and its implementation, thus improving compared to the previous year. On a scale from "A" (best result) to "D-," the company was placed in the highest ranking band with "A-" (previous year "B"). The Lufthansa Group is thus among the top 5 airlines worldwide with the best rating. CDP gave the Lufthansa Group top grades in reporting in the following evaluation categories: Scope 1 & 2 (direct emissions & indirect emissions from purchased energy), Scope 3 (indirect emissions within the supply chain), corporate governance, risk management processes, targets and initiatives to reduce emissions.

"The top rating in the CDP ranking confirms our pioneering role in the industry.

I am proud that we were able to improve our ranking this year," says Christina Foerster, Member of the Lufthansa Group's Executive Board responsible for Brand and Sustainability.

CDP climate ranking regarded as global gold standard

CDP is a global platform for the disclosure of information on the sustainability of companies, cities and regions. The Lufthansa Group has participated in the CDP reporting since 2006 and thus informs relevant stakeholders continuously and transparently about its strategy and measures for CO2 reduction. Each year, CDP collects information on CO2 emissions, sustainability strategies and goals from more than 18,700 companies, representing more than half of the global market capitalization, in a standardized process.